Pasty butt question

[trudyg]

I've got 2 pullets, maybe 14 days old or so, who get dirty butts. I've been washing them off, but the poo is not clearing the tail when they poop. It's normal when they poop, just clings to the feathers and then dries. I've been watching them. In the morning, if I see it's there and don't clean it up, they're the same when I get home and clean them later. At what point do I just watch and wait, not cleaning them, if there is such a time? They're in a big area--18' by 20' carport that's fenced in with sand as the floor and straw scattered about, and they're hard to catch. I wonder, too, about their age because all of the 10 chicks rarely go under the heat lamp, preferring to burrow under the straw. I can go out in the night, low 40's, and not see them at all and then, around first light, they come out from under the pile of straw and go play. Only wispy tails at this point and hardly anything I'd call feathers, but don't mind the cool air.

 

[swamphiker]

Hi there, some individual chicks just seem more prone to pasty butt than others. After raising a few batches, I find that I can stop worrying about it after about 3 weeks or so. I also will carefully trim the down around the vent for chicks that seem to have constant pasty butt. I've heard others say that pasty butt is more likely to happen if your brooder is too warm, but from your description that seems unlikely.

Good luck with your chickies!

 

[Blooie]

You can also dab a bit (just a tiny bit) of coconut oil or olive oil around their vents to keep poop from sticking as bad, but I don’t know about doing that with sand. That might make the sand stick.

 

[trudyg]

Thanks for all the input. I find that coconut oil isn't so bad as far as sand sticking to it. I've kind of got a routine of washing 3-4 daily, mainly because it's hard to catch them. These little guys can get out of a 5 gallon bucket without trying, so I need a lid if I want more than 1 at a time. So, I watch for a few minutes and see one w/ a bad butt, catch it and take into the house to clean. Put it back, watch a few minutes to select my next victim, and so on. Cleaning them off isn't so hard, I hold a wet cloth on the poo until it softens and then the clump tends to fall off. My biggest concern while doing this is my cats, who would just love to play with them. Another week or so and I should be in the clear. They are beginning to show barring in their feathers, which is so cool to me. And, even though they run like the devil is after them, once caught they settle down and will sit with me even after I release them. For all my talk of wanting less responsibility, I sure love these little critters.